MARKETING FEATURE
The Guild of Master Craftsmen has continued its tradition of bringing together skilled professionals and artisans engaged in a trade or craft in order to safeguard the public’s interest and ensure a premium service from recommended tradesmen. Rogue tradesmen can produce substandard work and this can be hard to spot when you are meeting a supplier for the first
time. Therefore, without using a carefully vetted member of The Guild of Master Craftsmen you may be putting yourself at risk. The Guild of Master Craftsmen provides the public with skilled, local tradesmen you can trust. If you see the Guild emblem you can be sure that you will be working with a trusted tradesman who is highly skilled, reliable and accountable.
Contact: 01273 478449 Email:
theguild@gmcgroup.com Follow on Twitter: @Guild_MasterC
Get your marketing up to speed
GUILD of Master Craftsmen members have fi nely-tuned skills in their specialist fi eld, but may need a helping hand when it comes to business promotion.
Enter business development specialist Steve Bridson: a man with a mission. He’s passionate about helping small businesses realise their full potential through clever and targeted marketing techniques. Bridson founded his mentoring business, Bucks Business Advice, in 2018, after honing his business acumen as the managing director of his business, Martinvest Ltd.
Armed with a Business Management Degree, majoring in Marketing, Steve helped steer the DVD and CD-copying business to success. At one point, the company had a turnover of over £1 million a year and 25 employees. After working in most departments, Steve found a natural home in sales and marketing and hasn’t looked back.
“Branding was a major part of our client’s needs, so I learnt a lot by osmosis,” he explains. “But now I’m not interested in the big corporates. A phenomenal amount of micro-businesses – those with less than 10 employees – make up a huge part of the business economy, and helping those businesses is what fl oats my boat.”
Business ‘health checks’
Whether you’re a furniture maker or a stonemason, Steve will run a thorough business ‘health check’. This process typically takes around four hours and he will work with the client to assess their company and agree on future direction.
Steve cites the ‘80:20 rule’ as a powerful tool to help the fortunes of a micro- company soar. He added: “Typically, 80% of your business comes from 20% of your clients. And often, a trader will fulfi l an order for a customer and then move on to the next job.
“But they’re missing a trick because they should be looking at building a relationship with that 20%. You need
30 TBH January, 2019
Marketing expert Steve Bridson Reaping the benefi ts
Steve’s current clients include a software developer, a photographer, a beauty product blogger and a mother-and- daughter-run artisan coffee outfit. Though diverse, they all have one thing in common: their marketing skills need Steve’s magic touch.
Jess, the photographer, is working with Steve to tackle ‘Perceived Indiff erence’, a marketing term which describes the way clients can think a business does not ‘care’ about them. Her new policy to regularly keep in touch with existing customers – combined with setting competitive prices for her work – has doubled her turnover.
Get the most out of networking events
Another key area to look at is a defi ned marketing strategy when attending networking events but squeezing the most out of them. Steve stated too often business owners will not arrive with a plan. Yes, they may meet people, but unless they go with an objective for the meeting, it is a wasted exercise.
Steve advocates building strategic partnerships and added: “This is about partnering with a fellow business that
to ask yourself how you can promote yourself to those clients.”
has the same type of client base but is a non-competitor.
“A simple example of this is when you've got a builder who can lay the bricks and build a house, but he needs a plumber to install the water works and central heating. They’re not in direct competition but one relies on the other.”
Because each client needs variation, Steve says the time he works with them is not set in stone.
“I have clients on an ‘ad hoc’ basis, or they might need mentoring over a period of time. The key thing they have in common is being accountable to someone.”
Social media
Of course, the real challenge is to stand out in a digital business climate seemingly fl ooded with infi nite choices.
“Social media is a grey area. If you're in the B2B arena, the best resource is defi nitely LinkedIn. With B2C (business to consumer), you have to be targeted.
“So, if you’re trying to reach customers in their teens and twenties, you need to set up an Instagram account, but if you’re after an older demographic, use Facebook. It’s about pitching yourself correctly, being visible in the right groups and being prepared to build a ‘following’.”
GDPR
Steve has a surprising marketing tool up his sleeve too. He is going back to old- fashioned communication: putting pen to paper.
Steve concluded: “The GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) overhaul in 2018 put a massive spanner in the works and many companies have lost contacts on their database. However, you can still legally send people post. It has a novelty value, and there’s a theory right now this form of marketing is set for a revival in the next couple of years.”
Interested in working with Steve? Contact the Guild via the number above to set up a meeting.
Words by Rachel Roberts
www.toolbusiness.co.uk
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